SANTA CRUZ — The raid Friday in the 500 block of Windsor Street had nothing to do with immigration enforcement, according to Homeland Security Investigations.

The federal agency brought an armored vehicle, more than a dozen unmarked cars and vans and a team of officers that busted open the door of a home with a man, woman and 10-year-old daughter sleeping inside about 4 a.m., witnesses told the Sentinel.

The couple was detained and taken to a Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office interview room with an agreement that the criminal investigation — a search warrant issued by a U.S. District Court judge to be served day or night — had nothing to do with immigration enforcement, local authorities said.

Distraught relatives consoled the couple about 1 p.m. Friday, shortly after the man and woman were brought home in a van.

An immigration attorney contacted by the family was concerned about the extent of force used to serve a search warrant.

“Homeland Security Investigations agents conducted a law enforcement operation in furtherance of an ongoing criminal investigation. No other information is available at this time,” said Richard Rocha, a Homeland Security Investigations spokesman. When information is available, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will provide releasable details, he said.

A niece of the woman detained communicated with Watsonville immigration attorney Doug Keegan. Keegan was not the only attorney contacted.

But could Homeland Security Investigations agents arrest or detain people for immigration matters while agents are carrying out a criminal investigation?

“They could, certainly,” Keegan said, also referring to cases from 2017 when that happened. “Homeland Security will say that anyone who comes to their attention who is undocumented is subject to removal proceedings.”

Santa Cruz immigration attorney Michael Mehr, who unlike Keegan works federal immigration-removal proceedings, also had contact with the family but was unable to specify his role.

“I did come over to the home right after the raid,” Mehr said.

One neighbor heard six explosions that woke him and many in the neighborhood.

An open door

An umbrella blocked rain from the foyer at the two-story condo where relatives and friends were consoling the couple. The deadbolt had been hit so hard, it was pressed into the steel door. The door casing had a wooden block recently added after the main entry was damaged.

Well known Santa Cruz resident Marcio “Chango” Cruz, whose sister was detained, walked up to the house to meet with his visibly shaken family.

“I’m just really grateful she’s back,” he said.

Questions

It is unclear what the warrant sought.

Keegan said he received information that the investigation possibly was linked with the killing of a police officer in another county.

“It is my understanding that this particular investigation is related to the murder of the police officer from Newman in Stanislaus County,” Keegan said. “That was back in December.”

He was referring to the death of 33-year-old police Cpl. Ronil Singh, who was shot dead during a traffic stop Dec. 26 in east Newman, The Sacramento Bee reported.

Gustavo Perez Arriaga, 32, was arrested in Lamont on Dec. 28, according to The Sacramento Bee.

President Trump in December responded on Twitter by lambasting illegal immigration being a component of the killing.

“There is right now a full scale manhunt going on in California for an illegal immigrant accused of shooting and killing a police officer during a traffic stop,” Trump wrote. “Time to get tough on Border Security. Build the Wall!”

Interview room

Undersheriff Craig Wilson said Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office does not comply with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement cases. The sheriff’s office will not work to assist immigration enforcement, he said.

“But Homeland Security Investigations is a different division. If any law-enforcement agency chooses not to work with Homeland Security anymore, they will forgo resources or assistance in cases involving homicides or human trafficking,” Wilson said.

Sgt. Dee Baldwin, of the sheriff’s office, said residents called with concerns whether that agency was assisting the raid.

“The sheriff’s office did not participate in the operation,” Baldwin said.

James Weller, of the local group Sanctuary Santa Cruz, said 20 volunteers went to the scene early Friday to be supportive for neighbors and the family. He said there is an understanding that the case was a criminal matter.

Santa Cruz Police Chief Andy Mills said that agency, too, was notified about a search warrant being served in the city.

“Our responsibility as a sanctuary city is not to do immigration enforcement,” Mills said. “We did not participate. We knew the general context of the case.”

Local immigration rights advocate Ernestina Saldana said she is tired of her community being terrorized because of their ethnicity.

“When have you seen authorities arrest anyone of Anglo heritage like this?” Saldana asked. “It doesn’t matter if a person is undocumented. There was a child in the home.”

There is no indication anyone in this case is undocumented.

Pre-dawn bust

The raid triggered many residents’ memories of two Homeland Security Investigations stings in 2017.

A February 2017 raid by Homeland Security Investigations also started as a criminal inquiry. Before sunrise Feb. 13, 2017, Homeland Security Investigations agents arrested a dozen men with ties to El Salvador on suspicion of extortion, drug trafficking and gang activity. That raid in Watsonville, Santa Cruz and Daly City also rounded up people who are not convicts. An armored vehicle also was deployed by the Boardwalk as agents busted down a family’s door in similar fashion as Friday’s investigation. The family told the Sentinel in that case that agents rummaged through their belongings and left their home a mess.